French stained-glass windows reflect unique Tucson history

By Mary Lim 

Saints Peter and Paul Parish is widely considered one of Tucson’s signature architectural landmarks. Located across from Banner University Medical Center, it’s impossible to miss. The church’s steeple is a simple steadfast reminder of God’s love for us. 

The parish was founded in 1930. It wasn’t long before the growing Catholic community yearned for a larger building. Crews broke ground on December 19, 1948. It’s hard to imagine but men laid each of the approximately 367,000 bricks by hand, giving the church its strong foundation. Days turned into weeks, the cornerstone was placed on April 14, 1949 and a few months later on October 9, 1949 the diocese dedicated the church.   

The church was built in the pre-Vatican II old basilica style. Objectively beautiful because of its grand size and uncomplicated décor, the original windows were also simple and without ornamentation.  


Photo from Ateliers Loire Chartres website

In 1963, 14 years after the dedication of the church, the parish secured esteemed French artist Gabriel Loire to replace the ordinary windows with his signature stained-glass masterpieces. Out of his workshop “Ateliers Loire Chartres” came the 48 stained glass works of art that for decades have adorned SSPP Church. Hundreds of Loire’s pieces can be found all over the world, but SSPP is the only location in the Diocese of Tucson that houses his sought-after artistry. Each of the 48 installations were paid for and dedicated by parish donors, proudly remembered for their generosity and legacy on a plaque in the narthex of the church. 

Faithful Catholics may be used to glimpsing scenes from the life of Christ in many Catholic churches’ stained-glass windows – images which invite people to reflect on Jesus’ life, love, and sacrifice for us, strengthening our relationship with Him. But the windows at SSPP do not portray Jesus as the main character – rather, they direct eyes toward Christ in a different way. 

The stained-glass windows were designed especially for the church in the southwest, depicting scenes from the lives of its two patron saints after whom the church is named, St. Peter and St. Paul. The primary façade of the building, Loire’s crowning beauty in this project, represents “The Church in Arizona”. 

As you face the altar, to your left you will see scenes from St. Peter’s life and ministry. From left to right, these pieces are named “The election of St. Peter”, “The Severing of Malchus’ Ear”, “The Denials of St. Peter”, “St. Peter’s First Miracle”, “St. Peter’s Crucifixion”, and “The Power of the Keys”.  


Photo from Ateliers Loire Chartres website

To your right are events from St. Paul’s life and ministry. From right to left: “St. Stephen’s Martyrdom”, “The Conversion of St. Paul”, “The Escape in the Basket”, “St. Paul in the Areopagus”, “The Shipwreck of St. Paul”, “The Beheading of St. Paul”, and “The Journeys of St. Paul”.  


Photo from Ateliers Loire Chartres website

These depictions of St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s lives invite us to remember Jesus’ unrelenting forgiveness and mercy; to reflect on how God may be calling us to serve in our unique vocations to bring others to Him; and to meditate on the great love that the saints had for Jesus that they were willing to become martyrs for the faith. 

Fr. Ricky Ordoñez, the pastor at SSPP, says that he is similarly inspired by the stained-glass windows’ portrayals, “I saw what made them beautiful was not the broken pieces of colored glass but the sunlight that passes through them. I now pray that the Lord’s light may shine through my own brokenness and somehow bring joy to those who may care to perceive it.” 

The largest stained-glass work of art rests on the rear wall of the choir loft overlooking the nave. It is the primary façade of the church building, evangelizing to the thousands of commuters who drive down Campbell Avenue each day. In the words of the late artist, it represents “the three periods of history in this region, Jesuit, Franciscan, and Secular. These are the figures of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino, S.J.; Francisco Hermenegildo Garces, O.F.M.; and Bishop Jean Baptiste Salpointe, first bishop in the founding of the Diocese of Tucson.” Loire unpacks the scene in this window, along with each of the additional 47, in his “A Guide to the stained-glass windows designed by Gabriel Loire Chartres 63 for the church of Saints Peter and Paul”. 

We trace the presence of our Church in Arizona back to the time of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino, the Jesuit missionary from Italy who, in 1690, was the first to bring the Good News of Christ to the native peoples of this region. (Diocese of Tucson) 

Francisco Hermengildo Garces, O.F.M. arrived from Spain in the year 1768. He was assigned to San Xavier del Bac and he spent his life ministering to the native peoples on expeditions up and down the Colorado River. 

Jean Baptiste Salpointe was the first bishop of Arizona. Originally from France, Salpointe was working in New Mexico when he found out that the Jesuits in Arizona had been called home in 1864, leaving the residents of the Arizona territory without priests to care for the spiritual needs of its people. Bishop Salpointe built Tucson's St. Augustine Cathedral, which was the first cathedral built in Arizona. (Diocese of Tucson) 

What a holy trio, and an amazing example set to all who call SSPP home, of the parish’s mission statement, to “create a ‘Legacy of Faith’ that works to welcome, support, and care for one another.” 
It is unclear whether this is coincidental or intentional, but the final stained-glass piece, titled “The Church in Arizona”, is the 48th installation in the series that Loire designed for SSPP church. Fitting, since Arizona was the 48th state to join the United States of America. 

Not visible from the pews are the stained-glass windows on either side of the altar. As the Director of Business Administration at SSPP, and also a former student, James Lemas can view and reflect on the images of sacrifice which shine light onto the sacrifice of the Mass celebrated daily. He says, “As a lifelong parishioner of SSPP, the stained-glass windows have always served not only as a wonderful reflection of the lives of St. Peter and St. Paul but also as a moving depiction of both the Old Testament sacrifice and Christ’s ultimate sacrifice that fulfilled the scriptures. I remember as a young boy at SSPP Catholic School attending the Stations of the Cross and Benediction during the Lenten season, our teachers would explain the windows and what they meant. To this day I always notice more detail in the windows, which serves as a wonderful reflection when I am in the church.” 

Anyone wanting to learn more about the beautiful artwork at SSPP can get a brochure at the parish office. The literature explores the 48 stained-glass windows and their moments of wisdom and symbolism contained in the church.